Ashley boys lacrosse's historic season ends in 2nd-round playoff upset to Apex Friendship
The best season in Ashley boys lacrosse history ended Saturday afternoon in the second round of the NCHSAA state playoffs as No. 18 Apex Friendship upset the No. 2 Screaming Eagles 15-12.
Ashley (18-2, 13-1 MEC) made history in April as it defeated longtime cross-town rival Hoggard for the first time in program history.
This made the Screaming Eagles Co-Mideastern Conference Champions for the first time and embodied a season of dominance.
Ashley coach Steve Phillip said despite the loss, his team gave everything it had.
"This is the best high school team I've ever had," Phillip said. "They have nothing to be disappointed about. They played hard this game. (Apex Friendship's) goalie had a few more saves, and we had a few more errors on our part."
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Ashley opened up scoring just seconds into the game as senior Kenan Everhart bolted down the right side of the field, swiftly maneuvering past defenders before rifling a shot into the back of the net.
However, Apex Friendship responded with a slew of goals, going up 7-3 at one point in the first half.
After scoring four goals to regain the lead at 10-9 to open up the third quarter, Ashley remained naturalized for the fourth quarter, allowing three unanswered goals.
Everhart led Ashley in scoring on the day with a handful of goals. Brodie Deutsch, Anthony Blackburn and Cooper Wert also scored.
Apex Friendship will once again visit a Wilmington team as it faces No. 7 Hoggard on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Apex Friendship upsets No. 2 Ashley in NCHSAA boys lacrosse playoffs
